MINERSVILLE (SCHUYLKILL COUNTY), PA: On March 25, 2016 at 14:30 hours the Minersville Fire Department and Schuylkill EMS were dispatched to 2 Sunbury Street for a possible structure fire. The caller reported a smoke coming from a second floor window in the three story apartment building. The Minersville Police arrived in minutes and found heavy smoke pushing from the windows and confirmed a working fire. The dispatch center upgraded the alarm and quickly dispatched Yorkville with West End Fire Companies from Pottsville for RIT.
Goodwill Engine 514 and Chief 510 arrived on location to find heavy smoke coming from the second floor rear of the building. Engine 514 established a water supply from a hydrant on the Alpha-Delta Corner of the building. The crew from Engine 514 deployed hose lines into the door on the Sunbury Street side of the structure to the second floor. Minersville Fire Rescue Engine 528 and Tower 519 staged north of the building on the Delaware Street. The Tower crew deployed a number of ground ladders to the Delta Side of the building. Engine 528 established a water supply from a hydrant just north of the fire building on Street. The engine crew deployed hose lines to the second floor back roof to attack the venting fire. The initial attack crew quickly knocked down the fire and vented out the window. The backup crews proceeded to check on extensions and vent the smoke from all of the upper windows.
Tower 519 was given orders to set up on the Delta Side and send its platform to roof to conduct roof operations. Yorkville’s Engine 62 and Rescue 63 arrived and sent their crews to assist the Minersville fire fighters with interior operations. West End Ladder 51 staged at the Alpha-Delta Corner and sent its ladder to the roof. The ladder crew went to the roof to assist the Minersville fire fighters with vertical ventilation on the roof.
A number of the building’s occupants were self-evacuated and were waiting outside the building. One of the residents was unaccounted for and was possibly entrapped in the building. Chief 510 quickly ordered the third alarm to be dispatched to the scene to help with a possible rescue. Fire engines from Pottsville City, Cass Township, and Branch Township were dispatched to respond to the scene. Frackville’s Ladder and the Schuylkill Haven RIT Team also responded and staged on Sunbury Street.
The remaining responding units staged on the Sunbury and Delaware Streets and sent their crews to the fire building. A number of Fire fighters reentered the building to search for the missing resident. The resident was found in one of the rear apartments and to be unconscious do to smoke inhalation. The trapped resident was rescued and removed from the building and turned over to EMS. The patient was first treated by Medic 68 at the fire scene for smoke inhalation. The EMS crew then transported the patient to a waiting helicopter at the nearby Life Flight 5 Hanger only a few miles away. The patient was loaded helicopter and flown to the burned center in Allentown.
The smoke was quickly vented from the building and no major fire extensions were found above the fire floor. Chief 510 declared the fire under controlled at 15:30 hours and started to release some mutual aid units from the scene. The remaining Minersville fire units who were on the scene picked up and returned to their quarters by 16:00 hours. A number of eight apartments were affected by the fire displacing all their tenants. The Tri County American Red Cross assisted the displaced with finding shelter for the night. The fire was ruled accidental in nature and started near a stove. The injured female resident remained in the burned center in serious condition.